Tuesday, March 31, 2009

We had a great training weekend over this past weekend. We took the opportunity to gather all of last years Stewards and the batch of prospective Stewards and conduct a serious amount of baseline medical training.We were pleased to be able to host Bill Kane, from SOLO in NH, (one of the fathers of Wilderness Medicine) as our primary instructor. We focused on patient assessment, and first responder protocols for both single and team rescues.

Members of the Shenandoah National Park's emergency response team, rangers and medics, were also able to join us to assist our new members, and refresh the old members with the nuances and procedures for using some of the high speed gear including spine splints and wheeled litters.

To train with the gear that we will be using, in conditions similar to those that can be expected on the mountain... if that was our goal, then the weekend was a huge success!

Classes Saturday ran from 0700 thru 2100.. and Saturday night provided a good opportunity for all the Stewards to re-connect after the long winter...

Sunday, the weather broke and we were greeted with 60 degree temperatures, sunburns for winter-tender skin, and a chance to feel really ready for the challenges ahead!

By the end of the weekend, even the stewards who are the old grizzled pros, who are in the mountains all the time out of both love and vocation, felt like they had added some key tools to their tool kit for keeping Old Rag and its visitors, whole.

About Us

We are a select group of highly trained volunteers, providing mountain education and resource interpretation specifically geared toward visitors to the unique environment of Old Rag Mountain in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park.